Amadeus Study Guide

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EDUCATION

STUDY GUIDE


Study Guide Contents 3.)

Production Information

4.) Introduction 5.)

Letter from Community Engagement and Education Team

6.) Synopsis 7.)

Meet the Playwright

8.)

Q & A with the Director

10.)

Characters

12.)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

13.)

Works by Mozart referred to in Amadeus

14.) Salieri 15.)

Musical Terms and Glossary

16.)

Mickey Rowe: Autism in Acting

17.)

Questions for Discussion

18.)

Elements of Drama

19.)

Elements of Design

20.) Sources 21.)

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Educational Outreach at Syracuse Stage

SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION

Director of Community Engagement & Education Joann Yarrow (315) 443-8603

Associate Director of Education Kate Laissle (315) 442-7755

Community Engagement & Education Assistant MiKayla Hawkinson (315) 443-1150

Group Sales & Student Matinees Tracey White (315) 443-9844

Box Office (315) 443-3275

Written by Len Fonte Designed by MiKayla Hawkinson


PRESENTING SPONSOR

College of Visual and Performing SPONSOR

PRESENT

MEDIA SPONSORS

BY

Peter Shaffer

SEASON SPONSORS

DIRECTED BY

Robert Hupp SCENIC DESIGNER

COSTUME DESIGNER

LIGHTING DESIGNER

SOUND DESIGNER

Misha Kachman

Tracey Dorman

Dawn Chiang

Victoria (Toy) Delorio

INTIMACY COACH

VOCAL MUSIC

PIANO & MUSIC

WIG DESIGNER

& FIGHT DIREC TOR

COACH

C O N S U LTA N T

Rob Pickens

Alec Barbour

Rebecca Karpoff

Milton R. Laufer

F O R E I G N L A N G UA G E C O N S U LTA N T

S TA G E M A N A G E R

CASTING

Marina De Ratmiroff

Laura Jane Collins*

Harriet Bass Casting

Robert Hupp

Jill A. Anderson

Kyle Bass

Ralph Zito

Artistic Director

Managing Director

Associate Artistic Director

Chair, Department of Drama

Amadeus is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. March 11 - March 29, 2020

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Welcome!

As you take your students on the exciting journey into the world of live theatre, we hope that you’ll take a moment to help prepare them to make the most of their experience. Unlike movies or television, live theatre offers the thrill of unpredictability. With the actors present on stage, the audience response becomes an integral part of the performance and the overall experience: the more involved and attentive the audience, the better the show. Please remind your students that they play an important part in the success of the performance.

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A FEW REMINDERS...

audience etiquette BE PROMPT Give your students plenty of time to arrive, find their seats, and get situated. Have them visit the restrooms before the show begins. RESPECT OTHERS Please remind your students that their behavior and responses affect the quality of the performance and the enjoyment of the production for the entire audience. Live theatre means the actors and the audience are in the same room, and just as the audience can see and hear the performers, the performers can see and hear the audience. Please ask your students to avoid disturbing those around them. Please no talking or unnecessary or disruptive movement during the performance. Also, please remind students that cell phones should be switched off completely. No texting or any social media, please. When students give their full attention to the action on the stage, they will be rewarded with the best performance possible. GOOD NOISE, BAD NOISE Instead of instructing students to remain totally silent, please discuss the difference between appropriate responses (laughter, applause, participation when requested) and inappropriate noise (talking, cell phones, etc). STAY WITH US Please do not leave or allow students to leave during the performance except in absolute emergencies. Again, reminding them to use the restrooms before the performance will help eliminate unnecessary disruption.


Dear Educator, The best way of learning is learning while you’re having fun. Live theatre provides the opportunity for us to connect with more than just our own story, it allows us to find ourselves in other people’s lives and grow beyond our own boundaries. We’re the only species on the planet who makes stories. It is the stories that we leave behind that define us. Giving students the power to watch stories and create their own is part of our lasting impact on the world. We invite you and your students to engage with the stories we tell as a starting point for you and them to create their own. Sincerely, Joann Yarrow, Kate Laissle, and MiKayla Hawkinson Community Engagement and Education

2019/2020 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SPONSORS Syracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that explore and examine what it is to be human. Research shows that children who participate in or are exposed to the arts show higher academic achievement, stronger self-esteem, and improved ability to plan and work toward a future goal. Many students in our community have their first taste of live theatre through Syracuse Stage’s outreach programs. Last season more than 15,500 students from across New York State attended or participated in the Bank of America Children’s Tour, artsEmerging, the Young Playwrights Festival, Backstory, Young Adult Council, and/or our Student Matinee Program. We gratefully acknowledge the corporations and foundations who support our commitment to in-depth arts education for our community.

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Synopsis Amadeus begins in 1823 on the day that the elderly Antonio Salieri believes will be his last. Once a composer in the Austrian court of Emperor Joseph ll, his musical compositions have now been branded as mediocre and he is all but forgotten. Addressing the audience as “Ghosts of the Future,” he narrates and reenacts his relationship to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Many years earlier, Salieri recognized the genius of the young Mozart, who arrives at the court as a famous musical prodigy. Envy burns in the once pious Salieri, who renounces God and sets out to completely destroy his rival.

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Meet the Playwright Peter Shaffer

“Passion, you see, can be destroyed by a doctor. It cannot be created.” -Peter Shaffer, Equus

Peter Shaffer and his identical twin, Anthony, were born in Liverpool, England in 1926. The author of many works for British television, stage, and screen, Shaffer was equally adept at comedy, historical drama, and psychological drama. Under the name of Peter Anthony, Peter and twin Anthony Shaffer, who was also an acclaimed playwright and screenwriter, co-wrote three mystery novels. Peter Shaffer’s stage successes include Five Finger Exercise (1958), The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964), The White Liars (1967) and Black Comedy (1965), Equus (1973) for which he won a Tony, Amadeus (1979) also a Tony winner, and Lettice and Lovage (1987). He also wrote the screenplay for the film version of Equus as well as that for Amadeus, for which he won an Oscar. The film version of Amadeus earned eight Academy Awards. Peter Shaffer died in 2016 at 90 years of age.

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Q & A with the Director Robert Hupp MiKayla Hawkinson, from the Community Engagement and Education department, got to sit down with Syracuse Stage artistic director and director of Amadeus to explore his views on Peter Shaffer’s play.

MH: What do you love about this play? RH: Well the play is an epic story about history, about intrigue. It’s a grand, sweeping play that wrestles with issues that are just as relevant today as when the play was written. It’s fun to watch because it is, on one level, a murder mystery and on another level, it is about one man’s battle with God. Since the early days of Greek theatre, man’s struggle with the forces beyond his control have always been a defining characteristic of great theatre. I have always been very intrigued by that theme. On a very human level, the play is set in the midst of a serious murder mystery and we are trying to put together all of the pieces. MH: How do you feel the stage version differs from the film? RH: The author Peter Shaffer wrote six different versions of Amadeus. The version we’re doing is the final version. The real difference is towards the end of the play when Mozart and Salieri have a confrontation that is much more human now and less melodramatic. It’s more about Salieri seeking forgiveness for what he has done to Mozart and that’s the primary difference.

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MH: What are some specific techniques you use in directing this piece? RH: To direct a play like this, you have to begin by having a very thorough understanding of the court of Joseph the II in 18th century Vienna and the 18th century Roman Empire as a whole. You need to have a clear understanding of who Mozart was and who all the people were that he interacted with because all of the people in the play existed. The playwright takes liberty with historic truth and bends the truth to his dramatic ends. You have to be familiar with what the truth is so that you know where the playwright is deviating from the truth and then you must ask yourself the question, “ Why is he deviating from the truth? What is he trying to accomplish and what is he saying to us?” That’s where the themes of the play emerge when you see the difference between the historical records and how these characters appear in the play. So that context, which we call dramaturgical research, is really the thing that I couldn’t approach this play without. I need those dramaturgical tools at the beginning of the process.

MH: Do you find Amadeus to be a period piece or a piece that has evolved over time? Can younger generations form a connection and relevance with it today? RH: It’s not a period piece even though the play is set in the 18th and 19th century and we see period appropriate costumes on the actors. It’s a very contemporary play, has contemporary themes and issues. So we are treating it as if it is a new play. I believe our youth can really connect with the character of Mozart and his wife Constanze. Mozart marches to the beat of his own drum, he defies convention and authority. He is creating something new, I think that’s very relevant. His wife, Constanze, is trying to survive. She is trying to make her own way in the world with a husband who is in his own world. She is trying to be a young woman in a very male dominated world. She is trying to break through those barriers and find her own place in a world that doesn’t give her any breaks. I think her struggle is very contemporary and relevant.

MH: What do you hope audiences will take away with Syracuse Stage’s Amadeus? RH: I think that they will take away that the play operates on a couple of different levels. I think it’s a great commentary on that we all want to be remembered after we leave this world. We all want to leave something behind. For some of us that’s a strong family, for some, it is a contribution to the betterment of others. Some want to leave a mark on our society and this play is about a man who wants to build a legacy but he realizes that legacy is discovering the legacy of someone else. I think it is a very interesting exploration of what legacy we all choose to leave, what memory we all choose to leave of ourselves on this planet. I think the play has something really interesting to say about how we wrestle with our own mortality and how we will be remembered by others.

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Characters Antonio Salieri: Italian composer in the 18th century Austrian royal court. We see him as a 70 year old and a man in his thirties. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A small pallid man. He is restless, with hands and feet in almost continuous motion. He’s prone to profanity. He has a piercing giggle. Constanze Weber: When we first see her, she is a pretty girl in her twenties. She becomes Mozart’s wife. Joseph II, Emperor of Austria: He’s a dapper, cheerful figure in his forties, largely pleased with himself and the world. Johann Kilian Von Strack: Royal Chamberlain. Count Orsini-Rosenberg: Director of the Imperial Opera. Baron Gottfried Van Swieten: Prefect of the Imperial Library. Two Venticelli: “Little Winds,” purveyors of information, gossip, and rumors. They also play the two gallants. A majordomo

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Characters The following are nonspeaking roles: Salieri’s Valet Salieri’s Cook Katherina Cavalieri: Salieri’s vocal pupil. She is twenty and beautiful. Kapellmeister Bonno Teresa Salieri: the wife of Salieri. She is a placid, padded woman. Citizens of Vienna

-Tracy Dorman, cosutme designer

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791

Mozart was born in Salzburg Austria, the youngest of seven children of Leopold and Maria Pertl Mozart. Five of their children had died in infancy, leaving Wolfgang and his sister Maria Anna, called Nannerl. At four, Wolfgang began participating in his seven-year-old sister’s music lessons with their father. Within two years, the children were playing in public, touring Europe as child prodigies. Wolfgang wrote his first symphony at the age of eight. After a time in Italy with his father, Wolfgang grew restless with his position in Salzburg and travelled around the continent looking for employment. Defeated, he returned to Salzburg and worked as court organist. In 1781 he decamped to Vienna where he took on freelance work and married Constanze Weber. In 1787, Emperor Joseph appointed Mozart “chamber composer” after the death of Gluck. The job was part-time and low pay. Often in debt, Mozart travelled often to earn money. During this time, although he was dogged by he did some of his best work including The Magic Flute and the unfinished Requiem. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed over 600 works, including symphonies, operas, concertos, string ensembles, and church music. At the time of his death at the age of thirty-five, he was considered one of the greatest composers. The plot of Amadeus springs from the rumor that Antonio Salieri was responsible for the death of the musical genius who was his rival. At the time, some said Mozart believed that he was being poisoned, and after his death it was whispered that Salieri was the culprit. These lingering accusations may have contributed to Salieri’s nervous breakdowns late in life. There was also a story that freemasons, angered by the betrayal of their rites in The Magic Flute, may have had a venomous hand in his death. Despite these lurid theories, there is little evidence that Mozart died by poison.

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Contemporary accounts of the months leading to Mozart’s death are contradictory. He had been ill for some time, but some say he seemed to be recovering. There are conflicting reports about his state of mind as he toiled away at the Requiem that was left unfinished when he passed. Was he desperately ill and despairing as family and friends reported, or as cheerful and hopeful as his letters written shortly before his death indicated? Did he really say that he was writing the Requiem for his own funeral Mass? The actual cause of Mozart’s death remains a mystery. While ill, he travelled to Prague to conduct the performance of La Clemenza di Tito. When he returned, he conducted the premiere of The Magic Flute. The composer suffered from reoccurrences of rheumatic fever, which could have led to his demise. The parish registry notes that at the time of his death he was covered with bumps. At that time, Europe was reporting cases of the plague. He was a hypochondriac and could have misused patient medicines. His sister-in-law suggested he was the victim of medical malpractice. The composer had fallen several times the year before his death. In 1994, an examination of what appears to be Mozart’s skull shows evidence of a lingering subdural hematoma, perhaps a result of those falls. Even more recent investigations have pointed to a possible runaway streptococcus infection. Much has been made of the humble quality of his funeral, implying that somehow Mozart left this world out of favor with royalty. Actually, this was the norm for contemporary interments.


Works by Mozart referred to in Amadeus Abduction from the Seraglio (1782) An opera with dialogue in German. The plot concerns the hero Belmonte’s attempts to rescue his love Konstanze from the seraglio (harem) of the Pasha Selim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAPYT7Lk2bc Don Giovanni (1787) An opera in Italian with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. A blend of comedy, supernatural, and melodrama, it is based on the Spanish tales of the legendary lover, Don Juan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJnJjpMdT3Y Così Fan Tutti (1790) A comic opera in Italian with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The title is sometimes rendered in English as “Women are Like That.” There is some evidence that Salieri also had attempted to set the libretto to music, but abandoned it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBXy9N3Frkk The Marriage of Figaro (1786) A comic opera in Italian with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte based on a play by Pierre Beaumarchais. The plot concerns servants Figaro and Susanna foiling Count Almaviva’s attempts to seduce Susanna. In Amadeus, Mozart transforms Salieri’s welcome march into the aria “Non piu andrai” from this opera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1-FKyOTvto The Magic Flute (1791) An opera in German, in the singspiel style with both singing and dialogue. It is a fantasy in which hero Prince Tamino, along with comic sidekick Papageno undergoes a series of tests to win the hand of Pamina. They must oppose the evil Queen of the Night, Pamina’s mother. The Magic Flute uses veiled references to rites of the Freemasons. “The Queen of the Night’s” aria is one of the world’s most familiar pieces of vocal music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuBeBjqKSGQ

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Salieri 1750-1825

As the emperor’s kapellmeister, Antonio Salieri was very influential in the development of the eighteenth century opera, and during his lifetime, his work was performed and celebrated throughout Europe. He was also an important teacher. Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, and Ludwig von Beethoven were among his students. Almost certainly there was tension between Mozart and Salieri. In letters exchanged with his father, Leopold, Mozart discussed how a group of Italians, led by Salieri, was putting up obstacles to his finding work. In one missive, Wolfgang complains, “The only one that counts in [the emperor’s] eyes is Salieri.” Part of this can be ascribed to the ongoing rivalry between the Italian and German schools of music. Ironically, however, Salieri had worked in Austria for a long time, and his work there was more characteristically German than Italian. Contrary to the legend, however, Mozart and the Italian often collaborated, with Salieri conducting or reviving works by the younger composer. In a letter to Constanze, Mozart wrote of how enthusiastically Salieri reacted at the premiere of The Magic Flute. They even co-wrote the cantata Per la recuperate salute di Ophelia. After Mozart’s death, Salieri had a hand in the education of his younger son.

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Music by Salieri Piano Concerto in B Flat Adagio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv9ooDrxTm8 Famed mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli talks about Salieri: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsNomFF55Kk For Amadeus, Peter Shaffer commissioned a march for Salieri to play as a welcome for Mozart, who creates a now-famous variation on it “Non piu andrai” Here’s a quick comparison of the two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGCcVnbzv8U


Musical Terms & Glossary Adagio: The notation for music played in a slow tempo. Aria: In an opera, a piece for one voice. Arpeggio: The notes of a chord played in succession, either ascending or descending. Cassation: An informal musical composition popular in the 18th century. Sometimes meant to be played outdoors (called cassazione in Amadeus). Coloratura: A elaborately ornamented performance of a vocal solo performed by a soprano. Divertimento: A light entertaining composition, usually a suite for a chamber orchestra. Fortepiano: An early, smaller version of the modern piano. Libretto: The text used in musical works like opera. Sonata: A composition for a solo instrumentalist, often with piano accompaniment.

Glossary Gluck: Christoph Willibald Gluck, a court composer (Kapellmeister), the mentor of Salieri. Upon Gluck’s death, Mozart received a royal appointment. The Prater: The Wurstelprater, known as The Prater for short, a large public park in Vienna. Prodigy: A person, especially a child, having an extraordinary talent or ability. Kyrie Eleison: Greek for “Lord have mercy,” the Kyrie is a prayer in Christian liturgies and part of the rite of penitence in the Catholic Mass. It is often set to music. First Kapellmeister: The head conductor, the person in charge of music at the Austrian royal court. Lead conductor of an orchestra or a choir. Freemasons: Any of the fraternal organizations that trace their beginning to the fraternities of stonemasons in the middle ages. Traditionally, freemasonry was characterized by secret ceremonies and iconography.

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Mickey Rowe

Autism in Acting

-Courtesy of mickeyrowe.com

What is autism? “Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the United States today.” autismspeaks.org

Why autistic actors should be cast in more roles

Here’s an interview by HuffPost original series on Mickey Rowe and why theatre should be more inclusive when it comes to casting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmj9c825Nss

Advocates for people with autism often say, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Just like the general population, autistic people are individuals with different personalities, talents, and limitations. As described by the Autism Society, autism is “a complex disability; signs usually appear during early childhood and affect a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.” It is a “spectrum” condition. People are affected in different ways and to different degrees. In an article for Playbill, Rowe says, “With autism comes a new way of thinking; a fresh eye, a fresh mind. Literally, a completely different wiring of the brain.” Mickey Rowe will be playing the part of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Syracuse Stage’s production of Amadeus.

Disability in Theatre and Entertainment The first-ever national disability theatre is spreading across the country and its co-founder, actor with autism Mickey Rowe joins in on this great podcast to discuss the positive changes for theatre inclusivity. Click the link below to listen. rudermanfoundation.org https://rudermanfoundation.org/podcast/episode-12-disability-in-theatre-and-entertainment/

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1.) Is Amadeus a tragedy? If so, who is the tragic hero? 2.) How are Salieri and Mozart alike? How are they different? 3.) After some research discuss how closely Shaffer gets to the real Salieri and Mozart? Where has he changed things? Why? Does the play convince you that Salieri had a hand in Mozart’s death? 4.) Listen to a real piece of music by Salieri. What is your opinion of his talent? 5.) Do you know someone who is extremely talented? How does that person approach the practices of that talent? 6.) What is the difference between jealousy and envy? 7.) When Salieri realizes how deep young Mozart’s talent goes, he gets angry with God because he has been faithful and worked hard, while the younger man seems to find creation easy. How could have Salieri dealt with his jealousy differently? 8.) Who are the musical geniuses of our age? Who do you think will be remembered one hundred years from now? 9.) If he were alive today, what would Mozart’s music be like? What genre? Why?

Projects 1.) Consider that in the 18th century the populace knew someone’s music through concerts and sheet music. There were no recordings, music videos, or internet. Create a social media presence for Mozart. 2.) Would Mozart have been a Youtuber? Create a Mozart Youtube video, with him as the speaker. 3.)Teachers check out this valuable link on The Mozart Effect below: https://www.education.com/science-fair/article/the-mozart-effect/ SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION

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elements of drama PLOT

What is the story line? What happened before the play started? What do the characters want? What do they do to achieve their goals? What do they stand to gain/lose? THEME

What ideas are wrestled with in the play? What questions does the play pose? Does it present an opinion? CHARACTER

Who are the people in the story? What are their relationships? Why do they do what they do? How does age/status/etc. effect them? LANGUAGE

What do the characters say? How do they say it? When do they say it? MUSIC

How do music and sound help to tell the story? SPECTACLE

Any piece of theatre comprises multiple art forms. As you explore this production with your students, examine the use of:

WRITING VISUAL ART/DESIGN MUSIC/SOUND DANCE/MOVEMENT

ACTIVITY

At its core, drama is about characters working toward goals and overcoming obstacles. Ask students to use their bodies and voices to create characters who are: very old, very young, very strong, very weak, very tired, very energetic, very cold, very warm. Have their characters interact with others. Give them an objective to fulfill despite environmental obstacles. Later, recap by asking how these obstacles effected their characters and the pursuit of their objectives.

How do the elements come together to create the whole performance?

Other Elements: Conflict/Resolution, Action, Improvisation, Non-Verbal Communication, Staging, Humor, Realism and other styles, Metaphor, Language, Tone, Pattern and Repetition, Emotion, Point of View. 18

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INQUIRY

How are each of these elements used in this production? Why are they used? How do they help to tell the story?


elements of design LINE can have length, width, texture, direction,

and curve. There are five basic varieties: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zig-zag. SHAPE is two-dimensional and encloses space.

It can be geometric (e.g. squares and circles), man-made, or free-form. FORM is three-dimensional. It encloses space

and fills space. It can be geometric (e.g. cubes and cylinders), man-made, or free-form. COLOR has three basic properties:

HUE is the name of the color (e.g. red, blue, green), INTENSITY is the strength of the color (bright or dull), VALUE is the range of lightness to darkness.

TEXTURE refers to the “feel” of an object’s surface. It can be smooth, rough, soft, etc. Textures may be ACTUAL (able to be felt) or IMPLIED (suggested visually through the artist’s technique).

SPACE is defined and determined by shapes and forms. Positive space is enclosed by shapes and forms, while negative space exists around them.

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Sources Mozart and Salieri biography.com. “Wolfgang Mozart.” 27 April, 2017. Last updated 26 November, 2019. Accessed 9 February 2020. https://www.biography.com/musician/wolfgang-mozart Ross, Alex. “Antonio Salieri’s Revenge.” The New Yorker, 27 May 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/03/antonio-salieris-revenge Wikipedia. “Antonio Salieri.” Last edited 18 February, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Salieri. The Death of Mozart Baskalar, Michael. “What Really Killed Mozart? Maybe Strep.” New York Times, 18 August 2009. Accessed 11 February 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/health/18mozart.html Markell, Howard. “A Symphony of Second Opinions on Mozart’s Final Illness.” PBS News Hour, 5 December, 2016. Accessed 11 February 2020. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/symphony-second-opinions-mozarts-final-illness “The Death of Mozart Amadeus Mozart.” Wikipedia. last edited 16 February 2020. Wakin, Daniel J. “After Mozart’s Death, an endless Coda.” New York Times, 24 August, 2010. Accessed 10 February o012p0. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/arts/music/25death.html Child Prodigies Camarata, Stephen, Ph.d.“Child prodigies and autism spectrum disorder” Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-intuitive-parent/201604/child-prodigies-and-autism-spectrum-disorder NPR Staff. “Studying the science behind child prodigies,” 3 October 2013 accessed 12 February, 2020. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/10/03/228557336/studying-the-science-behind-child-prodigies Solomon, Andrew. “How Do You Raise a Prodigy.” New York Times, 31 October 2012.Accessed 8 February 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/magazine/how-do-you-raise-a-prodigy.html?ref=magazine&_r=0 Winner, Ellen. “ Often Child Prodigies Do Not Grow up into Adult Genius.” New York Times, 20 May 2015. Accessed February 9 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/05/20/the-benefits-and-pressures-of-being-a-young-genius/often-child-prodigies-do-not-grow-into-adult-genius Jealousy and Envy Lancer, Diane. “How Insecurity Leads to Envy, Jealousy, and Shame.” PsychCentral.com, 8 October 2018. Accessed 10 February 2020. https://psychcentral.com/lib/envy-jealousy-and-shame/

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Educational Outreach at Syracuse Stage Children’s Tour

Backstory

Each fall, the Bank of America Children’s Tour brings high-energy, interactive, and culturally diverse performances to elementary school audiences. Each performance is fully staged with scenery, costumes, and sound. You need only provide the stage, cafeteria, classroom, or any open space. Performances include a talkback with the actors and our helpful study guide for further classroom exploration. Pre- or postshow sessions with our talented teaching artists can be arranged upon request.

Each winter, the Backstory program brings history to life as professional actors portray historical figures in classrooms and other venues. Previous presentations have included historical figures such as Anne Frank; Ace, a Tuskegee Airman; and Annie Easley a human computer for NASA.

YAC: Young Adult Council

Each spring, Syracuse Stage invites Central New York high school students to write original ten-minute plays and other performance pieces for entry in our annual Young Playwrights Festival contest. Our panel of theatrical and literary professionals evaluates each student’s play. Semifinalists are invited to a writing workshop at Syracuse Stage where their plays will be read and critiqued. Finalists will see their plays performed as staged readings by Syracuse University Department of Drama students at the annual Young Playwrights Festival. The festival is free and open to the public. The 2019 season was our largest year to date with 365 entries.

THE YOUNG ADULT COUNCIL (YAC) at Syracuse Stage seeks to give teens a voice in the programming designed for them while exploring how theatre impacts their lives. The program focuses on peer led discussion and events in addition to advocating for theatre and arts participation to fellow students. (YAC) is a group of high school students from the Central New York area that meets bi-monthly to create and implement pre-show events that will help inspire the next generation of theatregoers. YAC members can also take advantage of opportunities to learn from professional theatre artists at Syracuse Stage and through workshops, internships, and shadow programs.

Young Playwrights Festival

Summer Youth Theatre Experience Theatre for the Very Young Enter into a world of discovery, fun, and all silly sounds. Theatre for the Very Young is our touring series for our youngest audience members and their families.

Come and play with professional teaching artists of Syracuse Stage as we dive into the magical world of creativity and performance. This is a four-week program for middle school students. Ages 11-14. Visit https://www.syracusestage.org/summerprograms.php

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MAR 11 - 29

By Reginald Rose | Directed by James Still Co-Produced with Indiana Repertory Theatre

By Peter Shaffer | Directed by Robert Hupp Co-Produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama

ANGRY MEN

NOV 22 - JAN 5

Disney’s

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Music by Alan Menken | Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice | Book by Linda Woolverton | Directed by Donna Drake Co-Produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama

JAN 22 - FEB 16

THE WOLVES

By Sarah DeLappe | Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson | Co-Produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama

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SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION

AMADEUS APR 15 - MAY 3

ONCE

Book by Enda Walsh | Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová | Based on the Motion Picture Written and Directed by John Carney | Directed by Mark Cuddy Co-Produced with Geva Theatre Center

MAY 27 - JUN 14

YOGA PLAY

OFF SUBSCRIPTION

OCT 9 - 27

SEP 4 - 21

THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN WORLD PREMIERE

By Keenan Scott II | In association with Brian Moreland and Ron Simons | Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III | Co-Produced with Baltimore Center Stage

APR 1 - 5

COLD READ

A FESTIVAL OF HOT NEW PLAYS

Playwright-In-Residence Octavio Solis Solo Performer-In-Residence Bill Bowers Featured Local Playwright Charles Martin Curated by Kyle Bass

By Dipika Guha Directed by Robert Hupp

315.443.3275 SYRACUSESTAGE.ORG

SEASON SPONSORS


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